Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

Biannual Progress Report 

July – December 2012 

Disasters and Conflicts 

The UNEP response to environmental crises across the globe 

Hurricane Sandy caused widespread environmental devastation also in Haiti (see p. 11) 

Post-Crisis Environmental Assessment . . . . . . . . p2 

Post-Crisis Environmental Recovery . . . . . . . . . p4 

Evironmental Cooperation for Peacebuilding . . . .p12 

Disaster Risk Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p17 

The Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC). p20 

Publications – recent releases . . . . . . . . . . . .p22 

Contact us 

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please contact us at: postconflict@unep.org 

Archive 

Previous issues of the UNEP Disasters and Conflicts 

Sub-programme Progress Reports are available here. 

UNEP Disasters and Conflicts Sub-Programme 

Minimizing threats to human well-being from the environmental causes and consequences of disasters 

and conflicts is a priority area for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Its Disasters and 

Conflicts sub-programme comprises four operational pillars: post-crisis environmental assessment, post-crisis 

environmental recovery, environmental cooperation for peacebuilding and disaster risk reduction. While the 

Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch (PCDMB) coordinates the theme across UNEP, the regional 

offices, other divisions and several inter-agency partnerships are instrumental in its implementation. 

For more information contact us at: postconflict@unep.org Or visit: www.unep.org/disastersandconflicts


Post-Crisis Environmental Assessment 

Under the Post-Crisis Environmental Assessment pillar of the Disasters and Conflicts sub-programme, UNEP offers 

technical assistance to countries where critical ecosystems or natural resources have been directly or indirectly 

degraded, damaged or destroyed by conflicts and disasters. Field-based assessments using sound science and state-ofthe-art 

technology identify environmental risks to human health, livelihoods and security with the aim of integrating 

environmental needs into relief and recovery programmes. 

UNEP Experts to Assess Toxic 

Waste Dumping in Côte d’Ivoire 

In September a UNEP team of experts completed a scoping 

mission to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, at the request of the 

national government, to carry out an initial assessment of 16 

sites in the country’s capital affected by the dumping of toxic 

waste in August 2006. A costed workplan for a complete 

environmental audit has been submitted by UNEP to the 

government and is pending approval. 

The 2006 Côte d’Ivoire toxic waste dump provoked a serious 

health crisis in the country. A ship registered in Panama, the 

Probo Koala, chartered by the oil and commodity shipping 

company Trafigura Beheer BV, offloaded toxic waste at the 

Ivorian port of Abidjan. The waste was then dumped by a 

local contractor at sites in and around the city of Abidjan. 

The gas released by these chemicals is blamed for the 

deaths of 17 people and the injury of over 30,000 Ivorians, 

with injuries that ranged from mild headaches to severe 

burns of skin and lungs. Almost 100,000 Ivorians sought 

medical attention due to the effects of these chemicals. 

The substance was claimed by Trafigura to have been 

“slops”, or waste water from the washing of the Probo 

Koala’s tanks. Other reports, however, say that substance 

was in fact more than 500 tonnes of a mixture containing 

fuel, caustic soda, and hydrogen sulfide. The Probo Koala 

had been turned away by several countries before releasing 

the toxic waste in the Port of Abidjan. 

In spite of the subsequent clean-ups of the sites, there is 

still significant and widespread concern within the local 

community about the persistent health and environmental 

impacts of the waste dumping. Due to a combination of 

environmental contamination, public health impacts, 

legal implications, compensation and politics, the issue 

remains highly political in this West African nation. 

It is within this context that Côte d’Ivoire made a request for 

UNEP to undertake an independent scientific assessment of 

the environmental situation in Abidjan in areas impacted 

by the waste dumping. 

The UNEP audit of the environmental consequences of the 

toxic waste disposal in Abidjan from the Probo Koala will focus 

on identifying potential residual environmental contamination 

in the various impacted locations. This audit will assist the 

government in completing the clean-up process if there is 

any contamination left and assist the community in bringing 

the contamination issue to a close if the sites are indeed 

remeditated and free of toxic substances. The assessment will 

be thorough and will use internationally recognized methods, 

tools and laboratories, similar to assessments conducted by 

UNEP in other countries. Results are expected in 2013. 

Contact: Muralee Thummarukudy, Senior Programme 

Officer, PCDMB, at: muralee.thummarukudy@unep.org 

Toxic waste was dumped at 16 sites around Abidjan, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire 

2 

www.unep.org/disastersandconflicts


The Environmental Emergencies Centre seeks to build the capacity of high-risk low and middle-income countries to respond 

to environmental emergencies 

UNEP/OCHA to Provide Vital 

Training on Dealing with 

Environmental Emergencies 

While the UN family benefits from well-established 

mechanisms to respond to emergencies and humanitarian 

crises, there is an urgent need to enhance the national 

capacity for environmental emergency preparedness and 

response planning, particularly in vulnerable low and 

middle-income countries. 

Consequently, the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit 

(JEU) has developed the Environmental Emergencies 

Centre (EEC), a free online tool aimed at increasing the 

capacity of high-risk, low and middle-income countries 

to respond to environmental emergencies. Acting as a 

virtual resource, the EEC hosts numerous tools, guidelines 

and reports, provides relevant environmental emergency 

updates and supports discussion and documentation 

sharing. The EEC also facilitates national level workshops. 

Training modules include: 

• Beyond Response: introduction to environmental 

emergencies. This 3-hour eLearning and 3-day faceto-face 

training was developed in partnership with 

the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). It is 

has been developed in English and is currently being 

translated into French and Arabic. (The training was 

pilot tested in Abuja, Nigeria in November). 

• Introduction to Industrial Accidents: prevention, 

preparedness and response. Developed in partnership 

with UNEP’s Division of Technology Innovation and 

Economics (DTIE) and the UN Economic Commission 

for Europe (UNECE). A 3-hour eLearning session and 

3-day face-to-face workshop, which will be available 

in English, French and Russian. 

www.unep.org/disastersandconflicts 

• Introduction to the Flash Environmental Assessment 

Tool. A 3-hour eLearning session available in English. 

• Disaster Waste Management: tools and guidelines. A 

3-hour eLearning session developed in consultation 

with a review panel. Training is available in English. 

• Mainstreaming Environment in Humanitarian Response. 

A 3-hour eLearning session being developed in English 

in consultation with the World Wildlife Fund and 

Groupe Urgence Rehabilitation Development. 

The aim of the online learning series is to strengthen capacity 

to prevent, prepare for and respond to environmental 

emergencies, by: 

• Raising awareness of environmental emergencies and 

the associated risks and impacts; 

• Solidifying understanding of the national and 

international response systems to environmental 

emergencies; 

• Dissemination of and building capacity to utilize a 

range of available tools and resources for preventing, 

preparing for and responding environmental 

emergencies. 

The target audience of these training platforms includes 

anyone involved in the prevention, preparedness, response 

and recovery of environmental emergencies, such as 

national disaster managers, policy/decision makers, senior 

officials in government ministries, environmental experts 

and stakeholders who may be at risk of environmental 

emergencies in their profession (industry) or personal life 

(community member in high risk area).The Environmental 

Emergencies Centre is live at www.eecentre.org and is 

scheduled for official launch in May 2013. 

Contact: Rene Nijenhuis, Humanitarian Affairs Officer, Joint 

UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, at: nijenhuis@un.org 

3


Post-Crisis Environmental Recovery 

Based on the outcomes of environmental assessments, UNEP works to develop recovery programmes that encompass 

environmental governance, clean-up and rehabilitation, and ecosystem management projects. These programmes 

provide an initial anchor for UNEP in crisis-affected countries, which can be used as a basis for wider programming 

involving other priority areas. UNEP also acts as the focal point for environmental issues within the UN country 

team and works to integrate environmental needs into UN recovery programmes. 

Sudan 

Livestock Trade Vital to Economic Recovery 

in Darfur: UNEP study 

The revival of the livestock trade – mainly camels, 

cattle and sheep – in Darfur is vital to the long term 

economic recovery of this region in Sudan. Livestock is 

Darfur’s principal export, and in 2011 was Sudan’s most 

important export after petroleum and gold. However 

the livestock trade in this region has plummeted by 40 

to 50 percent since 2003 due to the ongoing conflict 

which has seriously disrupted the sector, according to a 

recent report by UNEP, Tufts University & the Feinstein 

International Center. 

The report, entitled “On The Hoof” 

and funded by UKAID as part of their 

support to UNEP’s project in Sudan, 

analyses the livestock trade in Darfur 

since 2003 and how it has adapted to 

the constantly changing dynamics of 

the conflict. 

As a direct result of the conflict looting 

of livestock has been widespread, and 

many livestock traders have gone out of 

business. In addition, large-scale traders 

have left Darfur’s livestock markets due 

to insecurity and the risks associated 

moving animals along traditional 

pastoralist routes. Escalating costs 

associated with the conflict and soaring 

taxation rates also prompted a dramatic 

decrease in the livestock trade. 

On the Hoof: 

Livestock Trade in Darfur 

Despite the challenges, positive signals 

have been detected. The trade in hides 

and skins has flourished - an activity that engages women 

and affords opportunities for gender sensitive livelihood 

support. There have also been agreements between 

traders and otherwise hostile groups - this could be a 

starting point for rebuilding relationships around natural 

resources. 

Three major dissemination events were held to showcase 

the On the Hoof study: The first was hosted and led by the 

Federal Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Range, and 

attended by high-ranking Sudanese officials who have 

policy-making influence in Sudan. The second targeted 

On the Hoof 


the UN and the INGO community, as well as key private 

sector players with an interest in investment in the Darfur 

region. The third event targeted the NGO and CBO 

community, and was held exclusively in Arabic. 

Prioritizing Darfur: UNEP’s Role in the Darfur Joint 

Assessment Mission 

In September UNEP led the Natural Resource Management 

Working Group – one of the 10 groups that represent the 

principle themes of the Darfur Joint Assessment Mission 

(DJAM). The DJAM is mandated by the Doha Document 

for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) to identify key early recovery 

and long term reconstruction and development needs for 

Darfur. The DJAM process is led by the country’s two main 

political parties, with support from the 

international community, particularly 

the United Nations and the World 

Bank, and the African Development 

Bank. 

UNEP, in its pivotal role in the Natural 

Resource Management Working Group, 

led five state consultations in each of 

Darfur’s capitals, with representatives 

from the localities, government, civil 

society and others. The aim was to 

establish a list of needs and priorities 

for Darfur to improve the region’s 

management of its natural resources, 

including water and land. This is 

considered one of the crucial steps to 

building lasting peace in the region. 

The DJAM – and its list of priorities 

- will be the focus of a high-level 

donor conference in early 2013 

where significant financial pledges are 

expected to be made by the international community. The 

inclusion of Natural Resource Management as a standalone 

component in this process provides an excellent 

opportunity for environmental messages to feed into the 

wider peacebuilding, development and recovery processes 

in Darfur. 

Environmental Governance in Sudan: 

Improve & Consolidate 

Since the secession of the Republic of South of Sudan 

in July 2011, Sudan has become increasingly reliant 

4 



Land use according to soil type in Wadi el Ku, North Darfur 

on agriculture as a key component of its economy. At 

present agriculture provides employment to 60 percent 

of the population, generating more than one-third of the 

country’s GDP and more than 90% of the non–oil export 

earnings. 

UNEP aims to stimulate debate on 

priority areas for strengthening and 

consolidating systems and institutions 

that support the general environment, 

and lay the groundwork for sustainable 

and equitable environmental governance. 

This is a priority for Darfur’s 

early recovery programme, and will 

help in efforts to mitigate the risk of 

conflict over resources elsewhere in 

the country. 

To this end UNEP released the first 

of three environmental governance 

reports on Sudan in November – 

this particular study “Environmental 

Governance in Sudan: An Expert 

Review” provides an assessment 

of the environmental policies and 

institutions in Sudan. 

Environmental Governance in 

Sudan: An Expert Review 

Environmental Governance 

in Sudan 

An Expert Review 

United Nations Environment Programme 

This report was authored by two senior Sudanese 

environmentalists: Dr Yagoub Abdalla Mohamed, 

former director of the Institute of Environmental Studies 

at the University of Khartoum, and Dr Omer Egemi, 

Senior Assistant Professor of Natural 

Resource Management, Faculty 

of Geography and Environmental 

Sciences, University of Khartoum. 

The final two reports - “Governance 

for Peace over Natural Resources” 

and “Relationships and Resources” 

- are slated to be published in early 

2013. 

Improving the Management of the 

Rangelands in Darfur 

Disputes over access to natural resources 

– including land – are among the causes 

of the conflict in Darfur. In this vein 

UNEP hosted a two-week learning visit 

to Kenya and Tanzania in September for 

Sudanese government representatives 

and members of Pastoralist Unions 

from Darfur. The aim was to showcase 

land tenure and resource management 


5


arrangements in similar rangeland contexts in East Africa 

which could be considered in Darfur, and thereby promote 

peaceful relationships over resources. 

Eighteen people participated from Sudan, including highlevel 

technical technicians from relevant institutions, such 

as Director Generals from Ministries of Animal Resources, 

Directors of Land Departments within ministries, and 

senior members of Pastoralist Unions whose role it is to 

advocate for sustainable pastoral livelihoods. The Darfur 

Regional Authority (DRA) was also represented. 

Following this visit, a series of state seminars were held 

in Sudan where the participants shared the learning 

visit experiences with a wider audience of government, 

NGOs, and others. These well-attended seminars 

received national television coverage in some states and 

the resulting recommendations are currently the basis for 

important state level consultations on priority rangeland 

management and tenure issues. 

UNEP Encourages Communities to get Involved in 

Managing their Environment 

Across Sudan, local communities are facing many effects of 

environmental change, including climate change, drought, 

population increase and movement, and in some areas, 

conflict. These threaten the natural resource base that is 

needed for stable and sustainable livelihoods. Community 

environmental management can improve the sustainable 

and equitable governance of natural resources at the local 

level. UNEP has used Community Environmental Action 

Plans (CEAPS) to assess needs and strengthen overall 

community management of natural resources. The CEAP 

methodology was pioneered by UNHCR in Eastern Sudan, 

and UNEP has extended the approach to Darfur. 

Three model CEAP processes were established in North 

Darfur by UNEP and implemented by the NGO Darfur 

Reconstruction Agency (DRA). Preparatory activities 

have commenced to expand these to six new sites - three 

in North Darfur and three in West Darfur. 

UNEP has also been supporting the Foresty National 

Corporation (FNC) in the facilitation of three CEAP 

processes in South Darfur. The successful implementation 

of CEAPs has led to an expansion of this cooperation with 

FNC into other states in Darfur, with relevant agreements 

for 18 additional CEAPs. This will bring the total number 

of CEAPs implemented by FNC to 21. 

Contact: Robin Bovey, UNEP Programme Manager, 

Sudan, PCDMB, at: robin.bovey@unep.org 

and: www.unep.org/sudan 

South Sudan 

UNEP Helping Protect Community Forests in South Sudan 

UNEP is piloting two community forestry projects 

in Central and Eastern Equatoria states. A National 

Consultative Workshop was held in September to bring 

together all stakeholders in the forestry sector and to 

raise awareness on community forestry in the country. 

The concept has been overwhelmingly well received 

by counterparts, including the Ministry of Agriculture, 

Forestry, and Cooperatives and Rural Development 

(MARFCRD) and UKAID, with recognition that there is 

a clear need to support the sustainable management of 

natural forests on communal lands as community forests 

currently constitute 95 percent of forests in South Sudan. 

Following the government’s endorsement for the pilot 

community forestry project, UNEP is conducting participatory 

resource mapping with local communities in the pilot 

sites. With the objective of building government capacity 

for providing technical and extension support to local 

communities, three officials from the federal and state Ministry 

of Agriculture and Forestry participated in a two-week course 

on participatory forest management in Arusha, Tanzania. 

Management of Solid Waste in Juba, South Sudan 

UNEP is currently playing a pivotal role in improving 

the management of solid waste in Juba, the capital of the 

6 

Republic of South Sudan and one of the fastest-growing 

cities in the region. 

Since mid-2012, and in collaboration with Juba 

City Council, Juba County Council, payams (local 

administrative areas), the Ministry of Environment and 

NGO partners, a number of activities have been initiated 

to improve waste management in Juba including: 

a preliminary environmental assessment of the 

existing dump site in Juba to assess the environmental 

consequences of the current open dumping of municipal 

solid waste; an initiative to improve the health and safety 

of waste pickers at the dump site by providing them 

with protective gear and developing health and safety 

guidelines; awareness-raising on waste and recycling 

by setting up environmental clubs, planning workshops 

on recycling, and training journalists on the subject of 

waste management; and undertaking waste composition 

analysis. 

UNEP is slated to conduct a waste composition analysis 

for Juba in coming weeks to provide reliable data that 

can then be used as a basis for designing and developing 

waste and recycling systems in Juba. 

Contact: Robin Bovey, UNEP Programme Manager, 

South Sudan, PCDMB, at: robin.bovey@unep.org 

and: www.unep.org/southsudan 



Afghanistan 

UNEP Afghanistan gets approx. USD $10m 

in Sustainable Development Funding 

UNEP has obtained the following funding for its projects 

in Afghanistan that aim to promote the sustainable 

development of the country. 

• USD $6 million – the first Global Environmental 

Facility (GEF) Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) 

Climate Change Adaptation project for Afghanistan 

(see next entry for further details); 

• The UK’s Department for International Development 

(DFID) approved a “Community Resilience/DRR” project 

for Afghanistan with a budget of £1.25 million; 

• The EC-funded Environment and Sustainable 

Management of Natural Resources (ENRTP) is supporting 

an Eco-DRR project in Afghanistan with a budget of 

USD $250,000; 

• The Government of Estonia will support a “Community 

Resilience/DRR” project for Afghanistan with a budget 

of €1.6 million; 

Afghanistan, UNEP Launch USD $6 Million Initiative to 

Help Communities Adapt to Effects of Climate Change 

The Government of Afghanistan, through its National 

Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), has launched 

a USD $6 million climate change initiative, the first of its 

kind in the country’s history. 

This landmark scheme - to be implemented by the United 

Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and funded 

mainly by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) - aims 

to help communities that are vulnerable to the effects of 

climate change, such as drought, and to build the capacity 

of Afghan institutions to address climate change risk. 

“The Government of Afghanistan is showing a remarkable 

commitment to working with communities for a 

landscape approach to dealing with climate change in the 

country,” said Michael Keating, UN Afghanistan Resident 

Coordinator, speaking from Bamyan in the Central 

Highlands, some 200km west of Kabul, in October. 

UNEP identified Afghanistan as one of the countries 

most vulnerable to climate change, because of the 

potential impacts and its current limited capacity to 

react to these impacts. Climate change adaptation is 

especially important in developing nations, since those 

countries are predicted to bear the brunt of climate 

change effects. 

Many of the agricultural activities in Afghanistan are 

dependent on the flow of rivers that originate in the Central 

Highlands area. However, natural ecosystems throughout 

the country are very fragile, and the degrading effects of 

increasing human activity in many areas are worsened by 

current climatic variability, mainly frequent droughts and 

extreme weather-induced floods and erosion. 

“In Afghanistan, 79 per cent of the population is engaged 

in agricultural activities, the majority at subsistence level. 

So by working with communities, or with people helping 

people, we in Afghanistan can build in stronger adaption 

approaches to all our national development plans,” said 

NEPA Director General Mostapha Zaher. 

The scheme will be implemented in four regions: Badakhshan 

in the northeast, Balkh in the north, through the Koh-e Baba 

to Bamyan and Daikundi in the Central Highlands. 

Interventions include improved water management and 

use efficiency; community-based watershed management; 

improved terracing, agroforestry and agro-silvo pastoral 

systems; climate-related research and early warning systems; 

improved food security; and rangeland management. 

Climate change adaptation is now on the agenda in Afghanistan 


7


79 percent of the population in Afghanistan is engaged in agriculture 

Watershed management activities at village level will 

include tree-planting, the terracing of slopes or the gathering 

of wild seeds to re-plant over-grazed mountainsides. 

Education and the development of vocational skills for the 

communities also play a key role in this project. 

UNEP key partners on the ground include the Food & 

Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food 

Programme (WFP) supported by the United Nations 

Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) working 

together with the USAID-funded Biodiversity Programme 

of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and local 

Afghan organisations and communities 

1000+ Clean Stoves for Afghan villages 

Over 1,000 clean stoves have been distributed to remote 

villages in the Koh-e Baba area in the central highlands 

of Afghanistan in the last six months. The cookstoves 

initiative – run by the Conservation Organisation for 

Afghan Mountains (COAM), with UNEP support – aims 

to cut indoor pollution, reduce dependence on fuelwood 

and therefore lessen environmental degradation. 

Indoor smoke from traditional Afghan tandoors, or drumshaped 

ovens which are used for cooking and heating, is a 

major health issue. More than 95 per cent of Afghanistan’s 

estimated 30 million people burn wood and other solid 

fuels in their homes, making Afghanistan among the 10 

countries worst affected by indoor pollution, according 

to the UN World Health Organization (WHO). 

The inefficient use of dung and fuelwood is also adding to 

environmental damage. For example, at the current rate of 

deforestation, UNEP estimates that all Afghan forests will 

disappear within 30 years. COAM has also planted over 

140,000 fruit, nut and forest tree saplings in the Koh-e 

Baba area since mid-2012. 

8 

5-Year Biodiversity Action Plan 

The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 

for Afghanistan – the country’s first of its kind - was 

completed in August and endorsed by the Convention on 

Biological Diversity (CBD). The five-year road map was 

compiled by a team of national experts from university, 

government and civil society partners with support from 

UNEP experts. 

UNEP Helps to Build Environmental Management 

Capacity in Afghanistan 

UNEP continues to support Afghanistan’s participation 

in a number of regional events and opportunities to 

contribute toward building environmental management 

capacity in the country. In the latter half of 2012 UNEP 

support was provided for the following: 

• NEPA Deputy Director attended a one-month 

executive environmental leadership course at 

Berkeley University (USA); 

• NEPA colleagues travelled to CMS, CBD and Climate 

training workshops; 

• Four national representatives from the government 

attended the Conference of the Parties (COP) in 

October in Hyderabad, India. 

• UNEP supported NEPA to finalise the country’s Initial 

National Communication on Climate Change for 

submission to the UNFCCC at the end of 2012. 

Contact: Andrew Scanlon, Officer-in-Charge, 

UNEP Afghanistan Programme, PCDMB, at: 

andrew.scanlon@unep.org 

and: www.unep.org/afghanistan 



Democratic Republic of the Congo 

UNEP Aims to Protect Supply of Safe Water to 

Kinshasa 

UNEP has initiated a landmark water scheme in Kinshasa, 

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that aims to protect 

the Lukaya river basin that supplies almost 380,000 

Kinshasa residents with safe drinking water. 

The project builds on the recommendations of UNEP’s 

Post Conflict Environmental Assessment (PCEA) of the 

DRC that identified 13 major “hot spots” of environmental 

degradation in and around urban centers in the country. 

Much of the environmental pressure is due to rapid 

population growth and unplanned development in urban 

areas that are also extremely poor and have inadequate 

basic infrastructure and local services. 

The innovation of the pilot project – that will implement a 

practice called Integrated Water Resources Management 

(IWRM) – lies in the fact that it is the communities in 

the area which will lead the dialogue and coordination 

process, assess and reconcile water needs and set the 

priorities for effective water management. State and local 

authorities will also be engaged to help build capacity and 

disseminate the experience in other parts of the country. 

Indeed, one of the Millennium Development Goals is to 

halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without 

sustainable access to safe drinking water. 

A key concern in Lukaya is that the state-run water 

treatment plant needs to protect the drinking water it 

provides to Kinshasa residents, but activities of local 

enterprises such as farms (poultry, fish and agriculture), 

and sand and gravel quarries in the 350km 2 area are 

having a major impact on water quality. The IWRM 

process creates a platform for communities and private 

entrepreneurs to decide on water priorities and implement 

practical measures to protect the water supply, which in 

this case comes from the Lukaya River. Practical actions 

can include planting buffer zones and silt traps along the 

river and near the water treatment plant to improve water 

quality by reducing sedimentation and mitigate flood 

risks, in addition to more effective use and management 

of land to protect the water supply. 

The aim is to expand this pioneering project, funded 

jointly by the European Union and the United Nations to 

other parts of DRC, specifically in the Kivus and Katanga 

provinces. Investment is expected to be upscaled to 

around USD $10 million over a five-year period. 

UNEP Country Programme for DRC gets 

Government Endorsement 

Following a series of consultative meetings, the 

Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and 

Tourism (MENCT) endorsed UNEP’s DR Congo Country 

Programme (2012-2015) in October. The programme 

sets the scope for UNEP’s planned intervention in the 

country based on the priority recommendations of its 

Post Conflict Environmental Assessment (PCEA) report. 

The geographic scope of the DRC Country Programme 

combines support for environmental governance and 

administration at both national and provincial levels, and 

includes implementation of field–based demonstration 

projects at the local level in collaboration with local 

authorities and community-based organisations. Substantively, 

UNEP’s proposed country programme consists 

of three main components: (i) policy and technical 

Providing safe drinking water is a UNEP priority in DR Congo 


9


advisory support on integration of environmental 

issues in the UN system’s humanitarian, development, 

peacekeeping and peace consolidation programmes; (ii) 

strengthening environmental governance, namely the 

policy and regulatory frameworks and capacity building 

at national and provincial levels; and (iii) support to 

sustainable natural resource management interventions, 

particularly through field-level pilot projects focusing 

on integrated water catchment management in urban 

and peri-urban areas, reducing the environmental 

impacts of mining and facilitating conflict resolution and 

transboundary collaboration in and around protected 

areas. 

DRC Aims to Stabilize Forest Cover by 2030 

DR Congo aims to stabilize its forest cover by 2030 and 

to maintain at least 63.5 per cent of its territory covered 

by forests, according to the country’s national framework 

on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest 

Degradation (REDD+) strategy launched at the climate 

conference in Doha in December. 

Given the projections under “business as usual” 

scenarios, this corresponds to preventing about half of 

the deforestation and forest degradation that would have 

happened otherwise between 2013 and 2030, or about 

three billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions. 

The DR Congo strategy represents the highest level 

of political engagement in the REDD+ process in the 

country, and builds on four years of intense preparatory 

work on REDD+ which has engaged thousands of 

Congolese stakeholders in the process. 

The framework strategy is devised also with the ambition 

of putting the country onto a path of dynamic economic 

development (with double digit growth rates) based on 

the important REDD+ investments in the agriculture and 

energy sectors in particular. The REDD+ strategy has 

seven pillars: agriculture, energy, forests, governance, 

demography, land use planning, and land tenure. A national 

REDD+ fund and a national scheme of payments for 

environmental services are being established as important 

financial mechanisms to implement the strategy, using the 

principle of linking REDD+ to measurable performance 

(related to carbon and multiple benefits). 

GRASP Supports Bio-Monitoring & Law Enforcement 

in DR Congo’s Kahuzi-Biega park 

The Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), with 

funding from the Spanish Ministry of Environment and 

through the Spain-UNEP partnership for Protected Areas in 

support of LifeWeb, has been supporting bio-monitoring, 

law enforcement and conflict resolution in Kahuzi-Biega 

National Park, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Kahuzi-Biega – a UN Educational Scientific Cultural 

Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site - is famous for 

its populations of Eastern Lowland Gorillas and elephants, 

but years of instability and insecurity have reduced the 

population of gorillas to half, and elephants to only an 

estimated 10 percent of its original population. 

The project, implemented by the Wildlife Conservation 

Society, supports the Protected Area Authority in a 

number of key areas. The development of a conflict 

resolution strategy and active support has helped the park 

managers to resolve a number of conflicts, including the 

voluntary relocation of illegal settlers in a corridor area 

and slashed illegal activities inside the corridor by 40 

per cent. Park rangers are also trained in bio-monitoring, 

including a health monitoring component which aims to 

improve the health of the human population as well as 

the gorillas. 

Contact: Hassan Partow, UNEP Programme Manager, 

DR Congo, PCDMB, at: hassan.partow@unep.org 

and: www.unep.org/drcongo 

Haiti 

UNEP Assesses Environmental Havoc Wreaked 

by Hurricane Sandy 

In October, UNEP led a rapid multi-disciplinary damage 

assessment of the South Department (the main area 

where UNEP operates in Haiti) after Hurricane Sandy 

struck the island, causing widespread flooding and 

destruction. 

Hurricane Sandy began impacting the South Department 

on 20 October. The strongest effects were felt on 24 and 

25 October when the hurricane was closest to Haiti and 

was intensifying to a category three hurricane. Wind 

speeds reached between 100 and 120 kmh, but the 

10 

biggest impacts were from heavy rains and storm surges. 

In four days Haiti received 50 per cent of its average 

annual rainfall, and 2-metre storm surges blocked river 

and ravine outlets which led to flooding and devastation 

in the coastal areas. 

On average, a tropical cyclone hits Haiti directly every 

two years. The cyclones are destructive due to the 

immediate effects of high winds and also due to the rain 

and its knock-on effects such as flooding, landslides 

and disease. In Haiti, the poverty of the inhabitants - 

linked to environmental degradation and the lack of 

environmental regulation - explains why even small 

scale cyclones can cause significant damage to physical 

infrastructure, private investment and the national 

economy. 



Hurricane Sandy caused widespread environmental devastation 

USD 11 million from Norway to Spearhead Innovative 

Sustainable Energy & Development Schemes in Haiti 

The UNEP Haiti Country Programme has secured USD 

11 million of funding over the next three years from 

the Government of Norway to spearhead innovative 

sustainable energy and development projects in Haiti. 

The programme maintains a strong focus on the 

sustainable development of the South Department and 

on the provision of sustainable and affordable energy on 

a national scale. Currently, less than a quarter of Haitians 

have access to grid electricity, and on average 10 percent 

of household income is spent on kerosene and candles, 

and even more on charcoal for cooking. 

Over 5,000 Solar Lanterns Sold by EarthSpark 

The UNEP sponsored NGO EarthSpark reached a 

milestone with the sale of its 5,000 th solar lantern under 

its social enterprise operation Eneji Pwop (meaning 

“Clean Energy” in Haitian Creole). The social enterprise 

now has 18 sales agents and is growing fast, illustrating 

the power of the approach and the strong demand for 

economic and efficient rural lighting products. 

UNEP to Assist Haiti with Private Sector Renewable 

Energy Proposals 

In July, UNEP took on a new role in the energy sector, 

providing independent technical assistance to the 

Government of Haiti on private sector renewable energy 

proposals. Haiti aims to attract substantial international 

investment in the energy sector, but as yet does not have 

the skills and processes in place to deal with unsolicited 

or negotiated project proposals from the private sector. 


UNEP is acting as a neutral expert party, providing 

detailed and at times confidential feedback on the merits 

and deficiencies of presented proposals and the potential 

for improvement to better match the needs of the state 

of Haiti. In the longer term it is hoped that this work 

will move from a reactive position to proactive, where 

UNEP supports the government in competitive tendering 

for large scale renewable energy power purchase 

agreements. 

Haiti’s Fishermen Moving Further Offshore, Thanks to 

UNEP Assistance 

The UNEP-led marine fisheries sub-project completed 

the first round of practical action for fishing communities 

in the region. Capacity building activities for local 

fishing boatbuilders boosted efforts to move the fishing 

community further offshore, thereby both relieving 

pressure on the overfished coastline and increasing the 

catch from open waters. 

Sustainable agriculture – a viable option for Haiti 

The UNEP sponsored Haitian NGO - Organization for 

the Rehabilitation of the Environment - completed its 

first round of sustainable agriculture activities and is now 

fundraising for an additional two years of investment. 

Activities completed to date include agroforestry 

capacity building and planting campaigns, anti-erosion 

installations and post harvest storage installations. 

Contact: Andrew Morton, Coordinator, Haiti 

Regeneration Initiative, PCDMB, at: 

andrew.morton@unep.org 

and: www.unep.org/haiti 

11


Environmental Cooperation for Peacebuilding 

Under its Environmental Cooperation for Peacebuilding (ECP) pillar, UNEP aims to use environmental cooperation 

to transform the risks of conflict over resources into opportunities for peace in war-torn societies. This includes 

assessing and integrating environment and natural resource issues within the peacebuilding policies and strategies 

of the United Nations, as well as using the shared management of natural resources as a platform for dialogue, 

cooperation and confidence-building within and between conflict-affected countries. UNEP believes that effectively 

addressing the environmental dimensions of conflict and peacebuilding can only be done in partnership with a wide 

range of international and national actors. As a result, UNEP has developed partnerships with a number of peace 

and security actors including the UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, the UN Peacebuilding Support 

Office, the Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support in New York and the European External 

Action Service in Brussels. 

Haiti & the Dominican Republic: 

Preventing & Mitigating Conflict 

& Tension in the Border Area 

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, 

and the Dominican Republic, a middle-income country, 

share a 380 km border – an area that underscores the 

enormous disparity between the two countries in terms 

of social, economic and environmental wealth. 

It is in the border zone that there is the most contact 

between the two populations, and the highest likelihood 

of tension, conflict and violence. It is here too that there 

is the greatest opportunity to have a positive impact on 

the complex relationship between the two countries. 

Paradoxically the challenges in the border zone are 

driven both by the interdependencies of the two 

countries and by the stark contrasts in the economic, 

social and environmental conditions. These differences 

manifest themselves in the chronic poverty and severe 

environmental degradation seen in many areas on the 

Haitian side of the border, as well as illegal transboundary 

exploitation of natural resources. 

Examples of some of the key issues in the border area 

include the illegal extraction and trade of natural 

resources (mainly charcoal, but also firewood and marine 

sources), transboundary agriculture, and large numbers 

of people crossing illegally from rural Haitian areas into 

the Dominican Republic to eek out a living. It is clear 

that urgent action is needed to reverse the deteriorating 

situation. If current trends continue, including practices 

similar to those which have caused much of the 

degradation in Haiti, soil erosion and a reduction in land 

productivity will drastically worsen on the Dominican 

side of the border. In addition, climate change is expected 

to adversely impact the environment. 

As a result of the concerns and problems in the border area, 

UNEP was requested to complete a study of the zone by 

the Governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 

UNEP is slated to release the results of this comprehensive 

18-month study in the first half of 2013. The assessment 

12 

In Haiti severe deforestation has eroded land and livelihoods 

covered both countries, however, emphasis was put on 

the Haitian side where the information is scarce and the 

environmental problems are more pressing. 

Contact: Dennis Hamro-Drotz, Programme Officer, 

Environmental Cooperation for Peacebuilding, at: 

dennis.hamro-drotz@unep.org 



UNEP has showcased the report at a number of key events, 

including at the annual meeting of the International 

Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations (May 

2012); the Military Green 2012 conference organized 

by the European Defense Agency (June 2012); the 

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs-led 

Inter Agency Standing Committee meeting (June 2012); 

the UN headquarters in New York - hosted by the UN 

Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field 

Support (DPKO and DFS) (September 2012); the NATO 

School’s environmental management course (October 

2012); and at a special briefing to UNEP’s Council of 

Permanent Representatives (CPR) in Nairobi (November 

2012). 

A number of current peacekeeping missions have 

independently adopted environmental policies and 

undertaken a range of measures to improve resource 

efficiency. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has 

introduced several environmental practices, including 

the use of electric cars at the mission’s headquarters, 

energy-efficient power generation and the establishment 

of a community-led recycling plant. 

© Christian Roner ICTS, UNIFIL 

UNIFIL operates 10 electric vehicles for general purpose 

use around the headquarters 

Greening the Blue Helmets: 

Making the UN More 

Environmentally Sustainable 

Efforts to support the UN’s 16 peacekeeping operations 

in improving environmental and natural resource 

management continue following the launch of Greening 

the Blue Helmets: Environment, Natural Resources and 

UN Peacekeeping Operations, a report that analyzed 

how peacekeeping missions around the world affect, 

and are affected by, natural resources and the broader 

environment. 

Response to this flagship report has sparked widespread 

debate, focusing on the multiple benefits of integrating 

environmental and natural resource management into 

peacekeeping operations. These benefits, which go far 

beyond environmental protection, range from saving 

lives and money to improving community relations and 

the implementation of peacekeeping mandates. 

The report has generated extensive interest in the UN 

and among governments, international organizations, 

training institutions, non-governmental organizations 

and academia since its publication in May; global news 

coverage has also been significant. 


Simple behavioral changes such as reducing car idling 

times, switching off equipment, or adjusting room 

temperature settings have resulted in a 15 percent 

reduction of annual energy consumption at the UN 

Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT). If every 

mission adopted similar measures, the UN could save at 

least USD $50 million in fuel costs every year. 

Building on the positive momentum created by the 

report, UNEP, together with DPKO and DFS, has 

developed a five-year technical cooperation framework 

that aims to implement the main recommendations 

from the first part of the report by 2017. This involves 

developing operational guidelines, implementing 

projects in the field, providing training, and developing 

performance monitoring and compliance mechanisms. 

The framework has received the full support of the 

Under-Secretary Generals of UNEP, DPKO and DFS. 

At a meeting in New York on 20 September 2012, the 

three aforementioned USGs committed to signing a 

joint statement that will fully endorse the cooperation 

framework and pave the way for more environmentally 

sustainable peacekeeping. 

A new Training Programme – largely based on the report 

- to support the UN’s 16 peace operations in improving 

their management of the environment and natural 

resources was launched in September by UNEP. The 

e-learning course, which is expected to be delivered to 

thousands of military, police and civilian peacekeepers 

in coming months, is divided into four modules. Module 

1 is active, and the remaining modules will be launched 

in 2013. 

Contact: Ivan Blazevic, Programme Officer, 


ivan.blazevic@unep.org 

13


SG Calls on UN Entities to Assist in 

Natural Resources Management 

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on United Nations 

entities “to collaboratively leverage their respective skills 

and knowledge to inform natural resources management 

assistance” in his October 2012 report on “Peacebuilding 

in the aftermath of conflict”. 

The SG also reiterated that land and natural resources are 

key drivers of conflict, and even more so, of relapse into 

violence. He stated that “Important substantive progress 

has been made since then (the 2010 progress report) to 

address this emerging concern, reflected in a number of 

reports, policies, resolutions and practical guidance for 

mediators working on resource-related conflicts and for 

practitioners addressing land, renewable resource and 

extractive issues.” 

The SG highlighted the partnership co-developed by 

UNEP to address natural resources and conflicts. He noted 

that, “In 2011, for example, the United Nations-European 

Union partnership on natural resources, conflict and 

peacebuilding produced four sectoral guidance notes, 

on extractive industries, renewable resources, land and 

capacity-building. Work is under way to integrate those 

various approaches into country programmes.” 

Contact: Matti Lehtonen, Programme Officer, 


lehtonen@un.org 

From Curse to Opportunity: 

Natural Resource Management 

Manuals Launched in Support of 

Conflict Prevention 

A new set of manuals – as noted in the aforementioned 

SG’s report on Peacebuilding in the aftermath of conflict - 

to improve natural resource management in order to reduce 

the risk of conflict was launched by the UN in October. 

The manuals will provide technical assistance to UN and 

European Union (EU) staff, in addition to national stakeholders. 

The goal is to equip both individuals and organizations with 

the skills and tools needed to understand, anticipate, prevent, 

and mitigate potential conflicts over natural resources. 

The five components of the toolkit - Land, Extractive Industries, 

Renewable Resources, Strengthening Capacity & Resource- 

Rich Economies – all aim to demonstrate how well-managed 

natural resources can prevent conflict or contribute to peace 

and sustainable development in war-torn nations. 

The exploitation of high-value natural resources, including 

oil, gas, minerals and timber, for example, has often been 

cited as a key factor in triggering, escalating or sustaining 

wars around the globe. Furthermore, increasing competition 

for diminishing renewable resources, such as land and water, 

is on the rise, compounded by environmental degradation, 

population growth and climate change. 

The guidance notes were also devised within the 

context of the so-called «resource curse», a paradoxical 

phenomenon in which natural resource-rich countries 

underperform resource-poor ones in economic growth 

and development. Countries suffering from the resource 

curse often have weak institutions, are over dependent 

on natural resources and thus vulnerable to shocks, and 

lack appropriate income redistribution mechanisms, all 

14 

of which contribute to the eruption of violent conflict. 

Once conflict has erupted, natural resources can provide 

financing to armed groups, extending the duration of the 

conflict, delaying peace processes, and having the potential 

to reignite conflict after peace has been achieved. 

The toolkit - authored by the UN Environment Programme 

(UNEP), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs 

(UNDESA), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), 

the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), 

the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA), and the 

Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) – was financed by 

the EU’s Instrument for Stability and coordinated by the 

UN Interagency Framework Team for Preventive Action. 

The UN Development Group and the Executive Committee 

on Humanitarian Affairs also published a 30-page guidance 

note on Natural Resources in Transition Settings based on 

the aforementioned manuals. This note – that was officially 

endorsed by the UN in October – is designed to help UN 

Country Teams and UN Missions assist in natural resource 

management issues and to help them define what role the UN 

can play both on the ground and in the political arena. UNEP 

played a key role in the development of this guidance note. 

The toolkits are available online. 

Contact: David Jensen, Head of ECP, at: 

david.jensen@unep.org 



New Book Examines How Natural 

Resources can Spark Conflict, but 

also Create Peace 

A flagship book that documents and 

analyzes the devastating impact of 

war on the environment in 23 conflictaffected 

countries and territories 

across the globe was released on 6 

November by the United Nations 

Environment Programme (UNEP), 

the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), 

the University of Tokyo, and McGill 

University following five years of 

unprecedented field research. 

Assessing and Restoring Natural 

Resources in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding 

highlights how post-conflict 

reconstruction efforts based on the 

sustainable use of natural resources 

and the environment can foster lasting 

economic and social growth in war-torn 

nations. In fact, re-establishing access to 

land and water are often the two most 

important priorities at the rural level. 

This set of case studies, edited by David Jensen, a 

staff member of UNEP’s Post-Conflict and Disaster 

Management Branch and Steve Lonergan, professor 

emeritus at the University of Victoria, is the result 

Assessing and Restoring Natural 

Resources in Post-Conflict 

Peacebuilding 

of an extensive collaboration between 35 specialists 

from the United Nations, government ministries, nongovernmental 

organizations, academia and the military. 

The research spanned the globe, 

including case studies from Iraq, Sierra 

Leone, Haiti and Afghanistan relating 

to a wide range of topics such as 

the assessment of the environmental 

impacts of war, the restoration of 

key natural resources, the impact of 

road infrastructure on land rights, 

the remediation of polluted sites, 

and the risks of depleted uranium 

contamination. 

The release of the book coincided with 

the International Day for Preventing 

the Exploitation of the Environment in 

War and Armed Conflict. Secretary- 

General Ban Ki-moon reemphasized 

the need for “a greater international 

focus on the role of natural resource 

management in conflict prevention, 

peacekeeping and peacebuilding.” 

He also highlighted that “the resource 

curse must no longer be allowed to 

undermine the security of fragile and 

conflict-affected states and the foundations of sustainable 

development.” 

Contact: David Jensen, Head of ECP, at: 

david.jensen@unep.org 

2013 Policy Report on Women & 

Natural Resource Management in 

Post-Conflict Settings 

Women in fragile and conflict-affected states not only 

often play a central role in managing natural resources 

for their livelihoods and that of their families and 

communities, but have also been shown to consistently 

prioritize equitable access to natural resources, such as 

land, as an important part of peacebuilding. However, a 

recent analysis reveals that to date, the different gender 

dimensions of natural resource use and management are 

not systematically taken into account in peacemaking 

and peacebuilding processes, despite the critical role 

that natural resources can play in the reconstruction 

period. 

In response, UNEP, in partnership with UN Women, 

the UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and the 

UN Development Programme has produced a first 

draft of a joint policy report analyzing the relationship 

between women and natural resources in the context of 

peacebuilding. The report, which features an analysis of 

risks and opportunities for women with regard to natural 

resource use and management in post-conflict settings, as 

well as programmatic recommendations, is intended to 

raise awareness and influence decision-makers to take into 

consideration the importance of gender roles and support 

women’s participation and empowerment in natural 

resource management in the context of peacebuilding. 

The final report is expected to be released in 2013. 

Contact: Silja Halle, Programme Officer, 

UNEP PCDMB, at: silja.halle@unep.org 


15


Poor Management of Natural 

Resources & Climate Change are 

Inherent to Ongoing Crisis in 

Sahel 

Poor governance of natural resources and climate change 

are among the many factors driving the ongoing crisis in 

the Sahel region in northern Africa, according to the UN, 

the European Union, and other key international players. 

In the Sahel, that majority of the population is directly 

dependent on natural resources for their daily survival. 

Climate change is compounding existing vulnerabilities, 

and historical data shows that the climate in the region is 

already changing, with increased temperatures, recurrent 

droughts, and more frequent and more severe floods. 

This is expected to lead to widespread food and water 

security problems throughout Africa, and in particular 

in the Sahelian countries. There is also competition and 

conflict over natural resources in the region, mainly over 

land, water and high-value resources. 

During an October meeting with the EU and other 

agencies, UNEP expressed its interest in participating in 

addressing natural resource needs and climate change 

within the framework of the UN Integrated Strategy for 

the Sahel (slated for publication in the coming weeks), 

led by UN Special Envoy to the Sahel - Romano Prodi. 

The EU is already implementing its Strategy for Security 

and Development in the Sahel. 

Contact: Dennis Hamro-Drotz, Programme Officer, 


dennis.hamro-drotz@unep.org 

Livelihoods that depend on natural resources, as does this herder in the grasslands of Mali, are particularly vulnerable 

to the changes in the climate 

© KAY muldoon / un photo 

16 



Disaster Risk Reduction 

The disaster risk reduction (DRR) pillar of UNEP’s Disasters and Conflicts programme focuses on countries 

that have been identified as vulnerable to natural hazards, and on human-made disaster events with an 

environmental component. As well as producing environmental risk assessments, UNEP seeks to strengthen 

the hand of Member States for environmental management through developing responsive strategies, 

building capacity and implementing pilot projects to reduce identified risks, thereby contributing to longterm 

disaster risk reduction. UNEP also contributes to global policy development by producing policy 

toolkits and training modules that demonstrate good practices and lessons learned in reducing risks, and 

provides environmental data and expertise on sustainable management of shared natural resources. 

The conservation and restoration of ecosystems such as mangroves can play an essential role in reducing disaster risk 

from floods, droughts and storms 

UNEP-EC Launch €2.5m 

Collaboration on Ecosystem-based 

Disaster Risk Reduction 

UNEP and the European Commission launched a €2.5 million 

project designed to promote, innovate and scale-up ecosystem 

management approaches for ecosystem-based disaster risk 

reduction (Eco-DRR). This Eco-DRR project tackles disaster 

risk reduction, adaptation to climate change-related risks and 

sustainable development in an integrated way. 

Healthy and well-managed ecosystems, such as forests, 

coral reefs, and wetlands, provide natural protection 


against hazards and support the livelihoods of individuals, 

thus reducing their vulnerability to the impacts of natural 

hazards such as floods and landslides. 

Implemented over three years (2012-2015), the project 

will field test Eco-DRR approaches to demonstrate 

their community benefits and cost-effectiveness in four 

highly vulnerable countries: Afghanistan, DR Congo, 

Haiti and Sudan. Lessons from the field will be used 

to influence national, regional and global policies and 

build consensus on mainstreaming Eco-DRR in local and 

national development planning in specific sectors, such 

as water and land-use planning. 

17


PEDRR sets Advocacy and Capacity- 

Building Goals for 2013-15 

The Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk 

Reduction (PEDRR) agreed on its priority actions for 

2013-2015, during a Strategic Planning Retreat held 

on 26-27 November, in Gland, Switzerland. PEDRR 

aims to further increase leadership and visibility in the 

environment-DRR policy arena and achieve greater scale 

and reach. 

Four key areas were prioritized: (1) global policy 

advocacy linked to Rio+20 outcomes and planning 

for the post-2015 global DRR framework and the post- 

2015 sustainable development goals; (2) scaling up 

PEDRR’s capacity building interventions across regions 

and targeted countries; (3) bolstering scientific research 

and knowledge; and (4) enhancing internal coordination 

amongst partners, with a small PEDRR secretariat to be 

set-up and supported within UNEP. PEDRR partners 

also voted to formalize its governance structure and 

membership guidelines. Established in 2008, PEDRR has 

expanded to 14 members, with additional organizations 

expressing interest in gaining membership. Through 

PEDRR, partners gain leverage in collectively advocating 

for Eco-DRR, based on sound environmental science and 

practitioners’ knowledge. UNEP is a founding member 

of PEDRR. 

UNEP Promotes Environmental 

Solutions for Disaster Prevention 

UNEP highlighted the importance of forests in reducing 

local exposure to coastal hazards when speaking at a 

high-level plenary discussion on mega-disasters in August 

at the International Disaster Reduction Conference in 

Davos, Switzerland. 

Drawing from the lessons of the Great East Earthquake 

in Japan in 2011 which triggered a massive tsunami, 

UNEP’s Disaster Risk Reduction Programme Manager 

Muralee Thummarukudy stated: “Coastal forests could 

not have withstood the tsunami – nor would have most 

engineered structures. Nonetheless, the Government of 

Japan is now planning to establish significant stretches 

of coastal greenbelts as a disaster prevention measure 

because having such natural infrastructure in place 

would limit development activities and settlements close 

to the shoreline.” 

UNEP, together with the International Union for 

Conservation of Nature, also organized a PEDRR side 

event (with approx. 50 attendees) on the challenges 

of translating disaster risk reduction into practice at 

the country level. Senior government representatives 

from Kerala, India, and from Côte d’Ivoire, provided 

their perspectives on the slow up-take of DRR, citing 

governance and capacity constraints. Panel members 

suggested areas for future action, including strengthening 

integrated DRR and development planning, and fieldtesting 

low-cost ecosystem management-DRR solutions 

to build local capacities. 

Contact: Marisol Estrella, DRR Project Coordinator, 

UNEP Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch, 

at: marisol.estrella@unep.org 

Disaster Risk Reduction is one of the key areas of activity for UNEP 

18 



APELL Expands Regional 

Influence Through New 

Research Centers 

The Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies 

at Local Level (APELL) programme - which seeks 

to identify and mitigate risks in industrialised 

communities - has established two new research 

centers at Bahia Blanca University in Argentina and at 

Tsinghua University in China. The centers are intended to 

serve as a formal knowledge sharing network that can further 

enhance disaster preparedness and response planning in 

vulnerable areas. Since negotiations for their establishment 

began in late 2011/early 2012, both host institutions have 

partnered with UNEP to promote the APELL methodology 

at the regional level. For instance in October, Bahia Blanca 

University co-hosted an APELL technical visit for Chilean 

partners and collaborated with UNEP to further advance 

the APELL approach among key stakeholders in Chile. In 

China, a Tsinghua University representative participated in 

UNEP’s Expert Working Group (EWG) meeting on Chemical 

Accident Prevention Preparedness, to brief members of the 

EWG on a variety of related processes pertaining to safety 

management and emergency preparedness in the country. 

UNEP has also continued to build and implement its 

APELL communication and dissemination strategy through 

strategic partnerships. Collaboration with the Joint UNEP/ 

OCHA Environment Unit (JEU) and the UN Economic 

Commission for Europe (UNECE) resulted in the integration 

of UNEP’s APELL and Flexible Framework methodologies 

in the online training course “Beyond Response” and 

has also contributed to the development of an Industrial 

Accident Training On-line Platform. An additional APELL 

expert communication and cooperation network platform, 

which will assist APELL practitioners worldwide in the 

exchange of lessons learned and knowledge sharing, is 

being finalized by UNEP in partnership with the JEU. Both 

online training courses and the APELL expert network 

platform are being hosted in the joint UNEP/JEU/UNECE 

“Environmental Emergencies Center” online clearinghouse 

for enhanced outreach worldwide. 

working with the Office for the Coordination 

Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Madagascar to 

improve emergency preparedness and promote 

the dissemination of the APELL approach in 

the region’s mining sector. UNEP’s provision 

of technical assistance is particularly timely as 

Ambatovy, a large-tonnage, long-life nickel and 

cobalt mining enterprise located in Madagascar, 

is finalizing large-scale mining operations in the 

region. UNEP is also seeking to promote the uptake of 

APELL methodologies in the mining sector in the broader 

African region through awareness raising workshop 

organized such as the one held in Zambia on 10-11 

December 2012 in cooperation with the UN Economic 

Commission of Africa (UNECA). 

In November, UNEP partnered with the Swedish Civil 

Contingencies Agency (MSB) and the Council of the 

Baltic Sea Sates (CBSS) to organize a high level event 

in Stockholm aimed at developing joint strategies 

to minimize the occurrence and effects of everyday 

accidents and crises in the Baltic Sea Region (both 

industrial and natural disasters). The event included 

participants from the 11 states of the Baltic Sea region 

and the European Commission (Denmark, Estonia, 

Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, 

Poland, Russia, Sweden and the EC) and was supported 

with funding from the Swedish Institute. 

Finally, in order to capture both the main achievements of 

UNEP’s APELL Programme over the past 25 years, as well 

as the outcomes of the Global APELL 25th Anniversary 

Forum that was held in Beijing, China in 2011, UNEP 

launched a new publication and video documentary on 

the 25th anniversary of the APELL programme. 

Contact: Tomas Marques, Programme Officer, Building 

Capacity for Industrial Risk Reduction, at: 

tomas.marques@unep.org 

Complementing efforts to enhance awareness on available 

tools and strategies for emergency preparedness, APELL 

is also supporting a series of pilot project demonstrations 

in West Africa (with Ghana as a hub) and East Africa (with 

Kenya as a hub) that will be undertaken in 2013. These 

18-20 month pilot projects are intended to demonstrate to 

Ghanaian and Kenyan partners the benefits of improving 

local level preparedness for industrial accidents through 

multi-level stakeholder engagement. UNEP has also 

secured financial contributions from the private sector, 

following negotiations held during 2012 with the 

International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), 

to carry out these sub-regional pilot demonstrations. 

Following a request from local authorities in the 

Atsinanana region of eastern Madagascar, UNEP is 

An APELL Emergency drill was conducted in Bahia Blanca, 

Argentina in December 2010 


19


The Environment and Security 

Initiative (ENVSEC) 

The Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) is an inter-agency initiative of 

international organizations comprising UNEP, UNDP, the Organization for Security 

and cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the UN Economic Commission for Europe 

(UNECE, and the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe 

(REC). The ENVSEC partnership aims to reduce tensions and increase cooperation 

through the joint management of natural resources and environmental threats in 

Eastern Europe, South Eastern Europe, the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia. 

Republic of Moldova & Ukraine 

agree to better manage oncepristine 

Dniester River basin 

In a landmark treaty signed on 29 November the 

Republic of Moldova and Ukraine agreed to improve the 

management of the Dniester River basin, home to some 

8 million people in Eastern Europe. Specifically the treaty 

– which is the culmination of eight years of collaboration 

between interested parties and organizations – provides 

a framework for cooperation on water pollution, water 

flow regulation, conservation of biodiversity and 

protection of the environment surrounding the Black 

Sea. It also addresses data exchange, public participation 

and cooperation in emergency situations. 

The 1,380 km river – which originates in the Ukraine, 

runs through Moldova for 400 km, and enters Ukraine 

again before flowing into the Black Sea – supplies drinking 

water to a large part of the basin and beyond (including 

the city of Odessa, Ukraine), provides hydropower 

generation, and supports a thriving fishing sector. In recent 

years however severe problems have been discovered, 

20 



including poor water quality, declining biodiversity and 

deteriorating ecosystems along the river. In addition, the 

impacts of climate change, such as increasingly frequent 

and devastating floods, are affecting the basin. 

The negotiations surrounding the Treaty and the 

drafting of the actual document were jointly managed 

by the ENVSEC partners: the United Nations Economic 

Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Organization for 

Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and UNEP. 

The treaty is a pioneering example for the region in the 

post-Soviet era. It significantly broadens the existing 


cooperation agreements to cover the entire river basin 

and all sectors that are important for the management and 

protection of shared waters. The treaty establishes the 

bilateral Dniester Commission to facilitate sustainable 

use and protection of the basin. It is also an important 

step in the implementation by the Republic of Moldova 

and Ukraine on their obligations under the UNECE 

Water Convention. 

Contact: Laura Rio, Senior Programme Manager, 

Environment and Security Initiative, at: 

laura.rio@unep.org and: www.envsec.org 

21


Publications – recent releases 

On the Hoof: 

Livestock trade in Darfur 

The report analyses the 

livestock trade in Darfur since 

2003 and how it has adapted 

to the constantly changing 

dynamics of the conflict. 


in Sudan 

An Expert Review 


in Sudan: An Expert Review 

This study provides an 

assessment of the environ-mental 

policies and institutions in 

Sudan. Authored by two senior 

Sudanese environmentalists. 

On the Hoof 


Launched: September 2012, 

Khartoum 

Information available here 


Launched: November 2012, 

Khartoum 


Assessing and Restoring 

Natural Resources in 

Post-Conflict Peacebuilding 

République Démocratique 

du Congo 

Évaluation Environnementale Post-Conflit 

République Démocratique du 

Congo: Évaluation Environnementale 

Post-Conflit 

A flagship book that documents 

and analyzes the impact of war on 

the environment in 23 conflictaffected 

countries and territories. 

A full version, in French 

language, of the DR Congo 

Post-Conflict Environmental 

Assessment. 

Launched: November 2012, 

New York 

Launched: December 2012, 

Geneva 


Programme des Nations Unies pour l’Environnement 


Alternative Domestic 

Energy Options for Darfur: 

A Review 

alternative 

DOMeStiC 

enerGY OPtiOnS 

FOr DarFUr – 

a revieW 

This study looks beyond stoves 

and explores alternative options 

for domestic energy in Darfur. 

Launched: August 2012, 

Khartoum 


For more information on UNEP’s Disasters and 

Conflicts Sub-programme, please contact: 


Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch 

International Environment House 

15 chemin des Anémones 

CH-1219 Châtelaine, Geneva 

Switzerland 

Or: 

Tel.: +41 (0)22 917 8530 

Fax: +41 (0)22 917 8064 


www.envsec.org 

22

Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

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